Party on: Beer consumption spikes sharply as October approaches, but it’s nothing new.
Munich’s Oktoberfest, which began Saturday this year, traces its history to a royal wedding in 1810.
It might be the world’s largest beer bash (about 6 million visitors a year), but it’s not the oldest. Harald Stueckle, brew master for Beck’s in Bremen, mentions his city’s Freimarkt festival, which dates to 1035.
So what have the Germans been celebrating for the past 1,000 years? It’s the return to brewing after a nearly six-month respite. Before antiseptics and mechanical refrigeration, brewing was halted in hot weather to prevent microorganisms from souring the brew.
Before shutting down for the summer, beermakers brewed an extra-large batch to a higher strength. They aged the batch in caverns during the summer swelter and when temperatures dropped in the fall, the dregs of this special beer (dubbed Marzen, meaning March beer) were consumed with appropriate pomp and ceremony.
The Washington Post
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
